Directions for Travel

Reaching Berlin

Berlin is served by two airports, Berlin-Tegel (TXL) and Berlin-Schönefeld (SXF).
(At least, Berlin has two airports now. It used to have three, and eventually might only have one. This is a long and complicated story.)
TXL is located in the north-west of the city and tends to be served by longer-range or full-service airlines;
SXF is in the south-east and tends to be served by shorter-range or budget airlines.
Travel time with local public transport between TXL and the Free University is about 30–40 minutes;
for SXF the travel time is 70–80 minutes.

Berlin is also well-served by the Deutsche Bahn train network.
The main station is Berlin Hauptbahnhof;
the underground platforms are designated as Berlin Hauptbahnhof (Tief), but this is indeed the same station.
If your train allows it, and depending upon the time of day, you may find that it saves you some time for onward travel to the Free University if you get off your train at Zoologischer Garten or Berlin Südkreuz.

Reaching the Free University / ZIB

Once you are in Berlin, the easiest and cheapest transport is the local public transport company, the BVG.
Their smartphone app, BVG FahrInfo Plus, is highly recommended.
BVG trains, buses, and ticket machines are an easily recognisable shade of bright yellow.
Head for the U-Bahn station Dahlem-Dorf on line U3, and walk to the FU/ZIB from there (see this map).
Alternatively, head for the U- and S-Bahn station Rathaus Steglitz on lines U9 and S1, then take the bus X83 in the direction of Dahlem-Dorf or Clayallee and exit the bus at the bus stop Arnimallee.

My office is room 4304 on the second floor (European style, i.e. third floor American style) in ZIB, which is the “J”-shaped building highlighted on this map.